This invention relates to an improved explosive composition.
In general, high explosives are compositions and mixtures of ingredients capable of instantaneously releasing large amounts of energy and doing work of various kinds on objects and bodies surrounding them. In some cases the useful work that is done is limited only by the energy content of the explosive composition, while in other cases the transfer of energy from the explosive composition to surrounding bodies is controlled to a large degree by the momentum or impulse released by the detonating explosive.
Tungsten and other heavy metals, such as depleted uranium (DU), have been used in shaped charges, as the penetrator case or as a liner within the case. In the case of military warheads, the purpose has been to increase the total weight of the warhead for better penetration performance. With current environmental concerns, tungsten has been the preferred heavy metal, since it is essentially inert.
However, structural strength limitations have been experienced with tungsten liners in large penetrator warheads. At the same time, fabrication of tungsten liners and cases is costly. Further, concentration of heavy metal at the walls of warheads degrades fragmentation performance.
Weinland, U.S. Pat. No. 3,528,864, issued Sep. 15, 1970, discloses several high impulse explosive compositions containing tungsten, one of which consists essentially of about 50 to 75 weight percent tungsten and about 25 to 50 weight percent trinitrotoluene (TNT). Such composition presents at least two problems: one, the tungsten powder tends to settle during solidification of the mixture, and may do so unevenly, depending on the mold shape; and, two, the explosive compositions are limited to a relatively small range of densities due to proccessability and settling problems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a castable, tungsten-containing composition for use in penetrator warheads to significantly increase total weight, thereby increasing penetration of hardened targets.